Play and Activities With Your 2-Month-Old

The past two months have been a whirlwind of sleepless nights and round-the-clock feedings. At this point, you're probably getting into a routine with your 2-month-old infant. In these early childhood development stages, she's ready for more activity and interaction with you.

Tummy time
If you haven't done so already, now is the perfect time to introduce her to tummy time. Letting your baby spend time on her tummy when she’s awake and alert will help strengthen her back and neck muscles. Place her on her tummy on a blanket on the floor. Prop her on her arms, making sure there are no blankets or toys around her face. Now watch her try to lift her head and move it from side to side. Start with about 3 to 5 minutes a few times a day and gradually increase the amount of time for each tummy session.

Share smiles
At around this age, your baby may develop a social smile, which is a huge milestone for all parents -- that grin just melts your heart every time you see it. Prop her on your lap, talk to her, and smile at her. She'll be entertained and engaged simply by the sound of your voice and the look on your face. The rewards of this activity will be priceless: It's amazing what a newborn's smile can do for a new mom!

Read together
One more great activity is reading together. Now is the perfect time to get into the routine of reading a bedtime story to your baby before putting her down for the night. With any luck, that bedtime story will lead to a good night's sleep, because you both have another big day of play and activities tomorrow!

Doing fun activities with your 2-month-old contributes to healthy development. And just spending time together will make both of you happy.

Photo by Minnie Zhou on Unsplash